Bar advocate sets her sights on ex-House speaker’s seat

Former House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi’s recently relinquished seat has barely cooled and already a young lawyer is anxiously hoping to fill the spot.

Lucinda V. Rivera, a 37-year-old Hispanic bar advocate who practices with the nonprofit Suffolk Lawyers for Justice, says she has filed papers confirming her candidacy for the Third Suffolk District House seat.

A resident of Beacon Hill, Rivera is gunning to represent the swath of Boston stretching from the State House to the North End that was ruled by DiMasi, also a lawyer, for decades.

“Yeah, he definitely left big shoes to fill, but I think Massachusetts is ready for a fresh look at things,” she says. “I’m definitely fresh.”

Rivera may be a fresh face, but she’s plenty familiar with local politics. Before attending law school, she worked as a legislative aide for former Senate President Thomas F. Birmingham and U.S. Rep. Michael E. Capuano, both lawyers-turned-politicians. Following in their footsteps, Rivera began her political career locally, serving two elected terms on the State Democratic Committee and working, at a grassroots level, for John F. Kerry, Deval L. Patrick and, most recently, Barack H. Obama.

After she earned her law degree, Rivera worked as a prosecutor in the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office before she found her calling as a criminal defense lawyer.

“That work is very rewarding,” she says. “I find pride and pleasure in representing this segment of the population that is definitely unrepresented and under-served. There are people who have no income, they have close to nothing, they get in trouble, and they do have rights that need to be protected. I enjoy being an advocate for them.”

So far, Rivera is the only candidate with a legal background. (Two other candidates, a former DiMasi aide and a former city council hopeful, have filed papers for the seat. The primary for the special election is scheduled for May 19, and the general special election will be held on June 16.)

“I am reaching out to the legal community for donations,” she says. “I am counting on my colleagues to support this fellow attorney who wants to make a difference.”

Rivera does not get much more specific than that. That’s because she plans to do “a lot of listening” before she shapes her policy agenda, she says, adding that if members of the bar have suggestions, she’s all ears.

6 comments

Not to disparage Ms Rivera, but the last thing the Legislature needs is another progressive attorney from Boston (and in fact, the last thing the Legislature needs is another progressive, period). Her points of view are well represented in the Legislature. What the lower chamber (indeed, the entire Commonwealth) needs is new philosophy emphasizing ethics, honesty, liberty, personal responsibility, and self-reliance, rather than incessant coddling and excuse making for people from cradle-to-grave.

Isn’t it customary to name other people who have entered the race by name? Or LW just didn’t bother to name them because they are not lawyers? Aaron Michlewitz from the North End, who worked for DiMasi for 4 years as constituent services director is running; as is former City Council candidate Susan Passoni. The fact that they are not lawyers does not render them nameless.

And all Rivera can say so far is “I am reaching out to the legal community for donations.” ??? Who does her PR advice?

Aaron keeps declaring that he’s already won the race?! Let’s see if voters buy that, or if they prefer to consider who works harder for their votes. This is not a viable seat for the GOP, unfortunately, but The Esteemed Gentleman reflects views that many people share. Time for a change in Massachusetts in 2010.